She was Fire and He was Ice
by Ai Ukitake
Summary: Nora Gilbert, seventeen and in the beginning of her senior year. Being the eldest has its responsibilities, like protecting her younger siblings, Elena and Jeremy. But what happens when her sister has been thrown into the world of the supernatural, and how will Nora's life change in consequence to that? Well... It all started with that crow that morning in the cemetery. Damon/OC
1. The Beginning of the End

**Hello sexy people! Am I coming on too strong? I guess it's because I'm just a little nervous, because I know I have written a lot of fan fiction on here, but I have been a slightly wary of venturing into the Vampire Diaries fandom. I'm not really worried about what people think of me having an OC, and this being a "sis-fic" and all that jazz, I've already heard it with my others and I'm bored of it, to be honest. **

**I will try my best to follow the episodes also, but there will be some changes to suit my story, but that's why they call it originality right? ;)  
**

**So I guess it's time for me to disclaim... dang, no, I do not own Vampire Diaries, I am making no money from this. I do own Nora Gilbert though :) **

* * *

It was a bright morning in Mystic Falls. The birds were chirping and the sun was shining, it was going to be a good day. Nora could feel it.

She needed it after the past six months she's had, what with her parents dying, Elena being depressed and Jeremy going off the rails.

She didn't want to sound insensitive about it, obviously, they were her family, but she felt like she was handling everything better than her siblings these days. Although she had to hand it to her sister, she had come out of the other side stronger than she'd seen her, and with the new school year starting they needed all the strength they could get.

It was nearly a quarter to six in the morning, everyone was asleep, and she got into her shorts and tank top, tying up her trainers at the door. She ran every morning, it was good for her. It helped her calm her emotions. Oh, and it kept her body in shape.

She clipped her green iPod shuffle to her top with her favourite band's, Safety Suit, song playing by luck, her dark blonde hair was in a messy bun on her head, and she was ready.

She listened to the words of her favourite song, "These Times", one of the many things that had helped her get through her parent's deaths.

This was why she loved running in the mornings, when the air still had a slight chill, but with the warmth of the sun beaming down on her as it rose in the sky; it relaxed her, and helped her work through her emotions.

She wanted to run a bit farther today, she usually only ran around the block, but today, Nora felt she needed a good long run to get her muscles working.

She ran around to the back of the town, it took her a good twenty-five minutes, and she felt like she had pushed herself too hard that morning, so she decided it be a good time for a break.

She took in her surroundings, and she found she wasn't far from the cemetery. She hadn't been there since her mom and dad's funeral, but she knew her younger sister, Elena, went there when she wanted to write in her journal.

And then a crow cawing overhead had Nora jumping two feet in the air and a blood-curdling scream ripping from her throat, it was loud enough that she heard it over her music, the reason for such a reaction, especially coming from Nora. She looked up, and it flew down to land on the tree beside her, and she could've sworn it was looking at her, like directly at her, as if it knew what it was doing, as if it had any sense of being. Those black eyes stared into hers, holding her gaze, as if it could into her soul, it made her insides go cold.

She shuddered, and walked away as quickly as she could, in the direction of the cemetery.

_God, that was creepy._

She continued walking until she saw the gravestones of her mother and father, side by side. But there was a crow on her mother's gravestone. What was it with her and crows? Did she have a particular smell or something that attracted them?

She decided to ignore it as she sat down in front of her parent's graves, right in between them.

She pulled her ear buds out.

It was eerily silent in the cemetery, and she tried not to get freaked out by the crow that she was sure was looking at her again. This was why she hated cemeteries.

She fidgeted with her hands, not really sure what to do now. She was never good at these sorts of things; talking about her feelings or even letting herself feel them was never her strong point. Elena had always tried to convince her to start a journal of her own. Nora had no clue why, she thought she handled her emotions pretty well if she was honest.

"So, mom, dad… Well, I suppose we're doing okay, it's not been the same without you, but then again, how could it be? How the hell is it supposed to okay without your parents? They're supposed to be the one constant in your life. They're always supposed to be there without question. Help you when you need a push in the right direction, like me and my music, Elena and her cheer leading, Jeremy and his art. They're supposed to punish you when you break the rules, but love you unconditionally, no matter what mistakes you make, no matter how many fuck-ups," she paused, smiling, "Sorry dad, that would've been a dollar in the swear jar and a disapproving look, coupled with a stern talking-to, from you,"

She looked at her dad's grave, and then her mom's. Her eyes burned with the tears that threatened to fall.

"I would give anything, _anything_, just to hear you shout at me about my foul language and how I am supposed to be the eldest and therefore more responsible than Elena and Jeremy, how I am supposed to be setting an example," her voice began cracking in the middle of her words, and she knew she couldn't speak any longer. Her throat felt like it was closing up, her breath was coming in short gasps, and she let the tears overflow, unable to keep them in any longer.

She leaned forward, so she was now kneeling, and her hands gripped the headstones, the left on her mother, and the right on her father.

"But you're not here! Why can't you be here? It should have been me! Why did I have to survive, and carry on living without you? It's so unfair!" she cried, and punched the ground as hard as she could, and causing a shooting pain to go through her wrist and up her arm. She knew she had probably sprained her wrist now, but she honestly couldn't care less. Her parents weren't going to be there to help her bandage it up, they weren't going to be giving her a slight scolding about how she had acted stupid in a moment of irrationality.

She let herself cry, cry harder than she ever had in her life. She cried until her sobs quieted, and her tears fell silently down her cheeks, and she was sitting on the floor again, her legs crossed.

She wiped her hands across her face, and laughed under breath, "This is first time I've cried since you died. Can you believe that? I didn't even cry at your funeral, I couldn't, I had to be strong, I had to be there for Elena and Jeremy. But what good has that been? Jeremy's on drugs now, only weed, god I hope, but you probably already knew that. I know you wouldn't want him to be going through it like this, but to him there's no other way. He's a bit like me in that department, can't talk about his feelings, the only way he shows what he's truly feeling is through his actions," she took a deep breath and shook her head.

Rubbing her eyes with the thumb and index finger of her right hand until they came to rest on the bridge of her nose.

"I am trying, I really am, but sometimes _I_ wanna break down, sometimes _I _wanna act recklessly, but I know I never would. Elena and Jeremy are all that are keeping me going these days; they are my only incentive to stay strong," she paused looking up at the sky, and then she chuckled, "Oh, and aunt Jenna came by the other day, she's our guardian now," she paused and laughed, a real laugh, something she hadn't done in months, but if there were anyone around, they'd hear the echoing pain and sadness behind it, "God help us right?"

And then she sat there for a little while, not speaking, just looking as the sky became a lighter blue. She had no idea how long she was there for, but she saw the sun had risen considerably since she left for her run that morning, and so she got on her feet, and brushed herself off, looking at the gravestones.

She placed a hand on each, gently, and spoke in a tone close to a whisper, "I love you,"

There was movement that caught her eye, and she saw that the crow was still sat on her mother's headstone. She knew it had been there, but she was good at blocking things out.

It cawed, but not so loudly this time, never taking its eyes from her. She took a step back as it flew past her, its wing brushing her face as it went, barely ghosting her cheek.

She spun around to watch where it flew, but it was gone.

_What the hell?_

* * *

**Okay, what do you think? Do you like Nora? Does the crow mean anything? I really want to know your thoughts! I do accept con-crit, because I am always looking to improve my writing. Thank you!  
**


	2. Pilot

**This is part one of the pilot episode, I had to split it up because so much happens and I didn't want to make the chapter too long. Don't forget it's all from Nora's point of view so there's gonna be a lot cut out, and parts of the story will change also :) VAMPIREDIARIES is the scene break. I hope you enjoy!**

**I do not own Vampire Diaries, sadly. **

* * *

"Toast, I can make toast,"

"It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna,"

Nora heard Aunt Jenna and Elena talking as she made her way down the stairs. She'd showered when she got in earlier, and was now wearing a dark green tank underneath an open green plaid shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and dark denim shorts with ripped hems, showing off the expanse of tanned legs, and on her feet were her favourite pair of dark brown cowboy style boots that were no taller than her ankle.

Jeremy pushed past her, "Watch it, Jer," she said in surprise; she lost her balance and had been close to falling.

He just rolled his eyes, and went in the kitchen.

"Is there coffee?" he asks, oblivious to Nora's annoyance.

She stomped into the kitchen, her boots echoing on the hardwood floor, Aunt Jenna was just giving Jeremy some money for school when she entered. Elena gave him a look, and she knew what that meant, she thought he was going to be using it for weed. Nora did too.

"Don't start," he warned her.

Aunt Jenna's eyes were on the eldest as she came next to Jeremy, "You know what, Jeremy, I am getting sick of your attitude lately," Nora grabbed him by the shoulder so he was facing her.

He shrugged out of her grip, and gave her a look of boredom mingled with anger, "Well, maybe I'm just getting sick of you," he spat

"Look, I may let you off the hook for speaking to me like that, but don't speak to Lena like that, we're your sisters, we're supposed to look out for you," she said sternly, her eyes trying to convey how much she cared. He just glared at her before heading to his room so fast he was nearly a blur.

Nora just frowned, "Give me coffee," she pleaded as she sat at the counter, all the while ignoring her sister's sympathetic gaze.

She couldn't handle it any longer, "Hey, look, it's a new year, a new us, we gotta look ahead at the good stuff, okay? I know Jeremy's still taking this hard, but we'll get through this, together," Nora said softly, smiling, and holding Elena's hand, squeezing reassuringly.

Elena nodded, smiling a true genuine smile. Aunt Jenna watched as she poured Nora's coffee, the sisters shared a smile at Nora's words of encouragement. Their aunt smiled to herself, she was so relieved Elena and Jeremy had Nora, as stubborn as Jeremy was about it; she always helped them through their struggles, no matter what. She always put them first, always; it was unconditional, like a mother. If she ever did become a mother, she knew she'd be a natural.

She handed the blonde her black coffee, and Nora thanked her gratefully, taking a long gulp. Jenna just kept smiling to herself as the siblings drank their coffee.

Nora decided to break the silence, it started feeling awkward with Jenna smiling weirdly to herself, "Hey, Lena, is it alright if I gate crash your ride with Bonnie this morning?"

Elena's brown eyes locked onto Nora's dark green, almost hazel, eyes, confusion marring her features, "I thought Tyler was picking you up?"

Nora rolled her eyes, "He's being a dick lately, can't stop hanging around Vicki," she explained, disdain in her voice.

"Hey, watch your language, what would your father say?" Jenna scolded. Well, at least she could get that right.

Nora smiled, "Oh, you know, he'd say how a young lady like me helping to represent the founders, shouldn't use such language," she explained fondly, laughing when she finished. Elena couldn't help smile with her; she remembered all those arguments about Nora's language, and just her behaviour in general. But there was another reason for her smile, she hadn't heard Nora laugh in what's felt like a lifetime, Nora hadn't laughed since before the accident, none of them had.

Jenna laughed with her, "Oh, yeah, I remember those little spats between you two," she said, and they all smiled, going back to silence for a few moments.

"So, are you and Tyler not together anymore then?" Elena asked gently, not wanting to provoke her sister, but Nora looked into her coffee for a moment before looking up to her sister.

She shrugged, "I ended it last night, I couldn't stand it anymore, he was just stringing me along, while always going off with Vicki, oh and a dollar for anyone who can guess what they get up to," she said her voice showing all the disgust she felt.

"Well, who needs men, right?" Elena said in strong voice.

Nora smiled, "You said it! Power to the girls!" she exclaimed, holding her hands up for Jenna and Elena to high five her, and they did laughing as they did, Nora was very "out there", loud and energetic mainly. But when she got over the top like that, Elena knew it was because that was her defence mechanism when it came to her feelings. She finished off her coffee, with a quick, "I'm gonna grab my bag,"

When she made it to her bedroom, she grabbed the ratty and old looking black rucksack, probably the oldest possession she owned, sitting on the floor by her desk, slipping it onto her shoulders as she did, she had the straps quite loose so it hung to her lower back.

As she did so she caught a glimpse of herself in her full length mirror by her wardrobe, her hair was up in a messy bun, her tanned skin was clear of all make-up except for some black eyeliner on her top lid, and mascara. She didn't really need foundation, she knew she looked good, and besides she didn't wanna ruin her skin.

She had to say, today she definitely looked well, no sign of her break down that morning, and to be honest she felt so much _better_ after that, she got a lot off her chest, all of those tears for a start, even if it was to stone and not any living breathing person. She was glad that when she got back that morning that no one was up, or else there would have definitely been questions.

She knocked on Jeremy's door as she passed it, no answer.

"Hey, Jer, Bonnie's picking us up, you need a ride?" she asked softly, but still no answer. She walked away from his room, taking a breath as she did. She shook her head, she had no idea how she was supposed to help her little brother. He was going through such a rough time of it.

Elena was waiting in the living room for her she came down the stairs, and she jumped up as soon as she saw Nora, "Jeremy?"

Nora shook her head, "Nope, won't even answer me," she said, popping the 'p'.

Elena rolled her eyes, "Well, he can make his own way to school, he's old enough," she said, and then there was a honk from outside their house.

"There's our ride," she said with a smile, Elena opened the door.

"Bye, Jenna!" Elena shouted, and then Jenna came running up to them.

"Right, so you got everything you need?" she said, a worried frown on her face.

Nora smiled, "Yes, Jenna, you don't have to worry about anything, kay? We got it covered,"

Jenna's frown was gone and she smiled, "Good, have a good day! Knock them dead," she said, with a wink and gave Nora a kiss on the cheek, and Nora had to bend slightly so Jenna wouldn't have to tip toe, she was quite tall. Jenna gave Elena a kiss too, and off they went.

Elena got in the passenger seat and Nora in the back, "Hey, Bon!" Nora greeted, she liked giving everyone nicknames, besides it always put a smile on her friend's faces.

And smile Bonnie did, turning around, "What a nice surprise! Where's your ride?"

"My car's still in the shop," she said, and Bonnie couldn't help but chuckle.

"I can't believe you let Kate drive it, she's like, the ditsiest person we all know," Bonnie said, but her smile still in place, starting up the car and pulling away from the Gilbert household.

Nora smiled, "Aw, come on, she's not that bad," she said, not really meaning it. She didn't know how her best friend managed to even make her breakfast in the morning.

Elena spoke up this time, "Please, Nora, the last time she was round she bought her brother's weed with her thinking it was tea," she said laughing.

Nora let out a laugh of her own, "God! That tasted horrid!"

"I think we must have got a little high just from drinking it, we all had the giggles for hours," Bonnie said this time.

Nora nodded, "I think we did, and Kate was the worst, she ate us out of house and home,"

Elena laughed, "I think she _thought_ that was what she was supposed to do though, I don't think she was really high,"

They all just laughed, remembering that night. Who brings tea to a slumber party anyway?

There's a silence for a little while, and Bonnie has a thoughtful look on her face, Nora must have zoned out a little because then she hears Bonnie talking, "So Grams is telling me I'm psychic. Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all that, I know, crazy, but she's going on and on about it, and I'm like, put this woman in a home already! But then I started thinking, I predicted Obama and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands… Elena! Back in the car!" she added at the end, trying to get her best friends attention.

Nora shoved her lightly on the shoulder, snapping Elena out of her trance, "Hey, you okay?" she asked, concern on her voice.

"I did it again, didn't I? I'm sorry, Bonnie, you were saying…" Elena finally says, looking at Bonnie.

"That I'm psychic now," Bonnie says, in a casual manner, finishing Elena's sentence for her.

Nora raised her eyebrows, "That's… Well, that's pretty damn cool actually," Nora says in approval.

Elena laughs a little, "Okay, predict something… about me, right now,"

Bonnie narrows her eyes, pretending to see something, "I see…"

And then a crow hits the windshield, making the girls jump, and the car spinning out slightly. Nora squeezed her eyes shut, her jaw clenched tight, and the girls in front screamed.

After what feels like a lifetime, the car stops, and Nora opens her eyes, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"What was that? Oh, my God, are you both okay?" she says, her worried face going from Elena to Nora.

"It's okay, we're fine," Nora says, her voice sounding more calm than she felt, but then she saw Elena's face, "Lena, are you okay?" she asks, placing a hand on her little sister's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm okay, honestly," she said, smiling in reassurance. Nora smiled back.

"It was probably just a bird or something," Bonnie said anyway, wanting to comfort Elena.

"Look, we can't exactly be freaked out by cars for the rest of our lives," Elena said in response, her voice stronger, and Nora squeezed her shoulder. She was proud of her; of course they couldn't be, besides Nora still had to actually drive her car.

"So, you were gonna predict for us, Bon?" Nora suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

Bonnie closed her eyes for a moment, and opened them, smiling brightly, "I predict this year is gonna be kick ass… And I predict all the sad and dark times are gonna be over, and you, both of you, are going to be beyond happy,"

Elena smiled, and Nora exclaimed, "Woo! Let's get this year started then!" she shouted, waving her left arm in between the girls and making the rocker sign with her fingers, "We are so gonna totally rock this year!"

Elena and Bonnie laugh with her as they start their drive for school.

**VAMPIREDIARIES**

Nora was walking through the familiar halls to her locker; she had left Bonnie and Elena at the car, seeing as she was placed in a completely different part of the school to them. She knew Elena would be alright if she had Bonnie, she just hoped Caroline would be sensitive.

She knew her friends would be around there somewhere since their lockers were in the same corridor.

She heard her before she saw her.

"NORA ROSEANNE GILBERT!" It was Kate's voice.

She couldn't help the face splitting grin that spread across her face, and she had to wonder why she told her best friend her middle name.

And then Kate was hurtling towards her, her bright tendrils of red hair tied in a ponytail, her fringe left to hang above her eyes, her jade green eyes shining and her face smiling. Nora braced herself for the hug that was sure to come.

And it did, Kate all but jumped into Nora's arms, nearly knocking her off her feet.

She laughed, hugging Kate back, "Come on, Kit-Kat, it's only been like a week since I saw you," Nora said.

Kate released her, "Well, that's one week too many! Do you even care about what torture I had to endure last week?" she said, her hands on her hips. Kate was quite tall herself, and probably only an inch shorter Nora, so she was one of few who didn't have to look up at her, except for the boys. They were like mountains.

Nora crossed her arms laughing, and moved to the side of the corridor and walked up to her locker, Kate following close behind.

"For starters, I had to do _chores_, and then I was stuck with Ian all week because _everyone_ was busy. God! What is with you guys?" she ranted, and it only made Nora chuckle, her smile growing.

"It's called work, some of us gotta earn the pennies and besides, Ian isn't that bad," she said, defending their friend.

Kate looked at Nora with an eyebrow raised, "Are you being serious right now? All Ian wanted to do was play stupid football, and play his stupid guitar, and-"

"Hey! I play guitar!" Nora said, lightly slapping Kate's shoulder.

"I know! But- ugh! He's just stupid!" she said finally, obviously unable to come up with a better reason for not liking spending time with Ian. Kate and Ian were twins, but they were polar opposites.

Nora rolled her eyes.

"Noooora~" sang a familiar voice.

And their whole group came into view.

Lucy was the first one she saw, as she had come forward, she had been the one who called Nora, she was short and so Nora bent for Lucy to hug her.

Lucy was probably no taller than five feet, she was half-Japanese, her mother's side, and her hair and make-up was always perfect. She was also the most fashionable one in their group, well her and Kate. They absolutely _abhorred_ the way Nora dressed. But she was more of a tomboy, that's why she hated all of the founder's events, they were torture for her.

They pulled away, and Lucy smiled, "It's so good to see you, are you alright?"

At Nora's arrival the whole group was now standing in a huddle by Nora's locker, looking at her with the same smiles on their faces. There was Ian, a tall six foot five and his muscle accommodated with his height, he had light brown hair that was always styled in that cool but "I just got out of bed" look, and green eyes to match his sisters, the only feature they shared along with their height. Jay was next to Ian, he was the same height as Ian and they were best friends, and they were both in the football team, he had sandy blonde hair and light sky blue eyes but he had more leaner muscle and wasn't quite the man mountain that Ian was, and he also happened to be Lucy's boyfriend.

And then there was Scott, he had black hair that really needed a haircut and swept his forehead and dark chocolate brown eyes, he was just over six foot, and was solid muscle, and the guy she used to have a crush on, something Kate and Lucy still laugh about.

Don't get her wrong, he was hot, and nearly every girl in the school melted when he smiled at them, or even looked their way, but he was more like a brother to her now, and she just didn't see him that way.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "So, the last member of our crew is back, now let's go rock this shit," he said, and they all laughed. He held out his fist, looking at Nora, "Come on, you know you gotta bump, dude," she slid out from beneath his arm, and bumped his fist, both pulling away with their fingers open and making that "whoosh" sound effect, then they slapped hands back and forth before bumping their chests. They both grinned.

Nora nodded her head, "Oh, yeah! We still got it!" she sang, doing a little dance on the spot.

"Oh, my God, you two are such geeks," Lucy said, but unable to hide the smile that threatened to appear.

Ian shoved Scott's shoulder lightly, "Come on, man, you two did that when you were, like, twelve? Quit embarrassing us," he said, grinning.

"Let's just go, I feel like dying already and the year has barely started," Kate said, trying and failing to push Ian out of her way.

Nora looked at Scott.

"You know what this means then," she said, raising her eyebrows and putting a hand on her hip.

He nodded his head, and turned around, she grinned and jumped on his back, wrapping her long legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck, she rested her head on his shoulder, "Ahhh, it feels good to be back!" she said content, closing her eyes briefly.

"Here we go," Jay said, shifting the rucksack he had on one shoulder, and smiling.

"Hey Jay, don't go moaning dude, you're next," Nora said, narrowing her eyes and pointing a finger at him.

"I'm afraid this ride is already taken, Blondie," Lucy shouted in glee, before jumping on Jay's back, catching him by surprise. Luckily enough, he had quick reflexes and caught her before she fell to her death.

"Is a ride all I am to you?" Jay asked Lucy, feigning hurt.

"You know you're not baby," she said, stroking his hair, and laughing after. Nora couldn't help but laugh as she watched.

Kate came up between the two piggy backers putting a finger in her mouth and making gagging noises.

Lucy slapped a hand on her shoulder, and Nora thought that she was probably feeling giddy that she was now taller than Kate, for once.

Kate looked at her, "You're both disgusting. We _so _do not need to see all the lovey-dovey goo every second, of every day,"

"I think it's cute," Nora said.

"Besides, you're just jealous," Lucy said, looking away and sticking her nose in the air, Nora couldn't help but giggle.

"Move it along, singleton," Ian said, pushing his sister in the back, causing her trip over her feet. She was the air head and klutz of their little group.

Nora held a hand to her mouth, trying to hide her laughter, and snorting in the process.

Lucy and the guys outright laughed as Kate picked herself back up, quite quickly and Nora had to give her props for that, and pushed her loose hair out of her flustered face, and she stormed off.

But Scott had already stopped outside their class, and this was one class they all shared.

Just as Nora was about to call her back, Ian caught up to her wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her back.

She shoved him away, "Ugh! I hate you, Ian! You made me nearly miss our class!"

"I love you too, Kit-Kat," he said smiling, he knew she hated it when he called her that, only Nora and Lucy did, Nora more so than Lucy, and so he did as often as he could just to see her go as red as a tomato, and her cheeks puff out in anger. Her eyes always seemed greener too.

She stomped into their class and Nora could hear from outside her chair squeak painfully.

She felt Scott laugh beneath her, "Are you making it your life's mission to make her as angry as possible?" he asked, and Nora knew he was smiling.

Ian shrugged, "Pretty much yeah,"

"You're gonna give her an aneurysm one of these days," Jay said.

"You two used to be like best friends though when you were younger, you were so close," Nora commented, there was a time they were joined at the hip, but then they went through puberty. That pretty much explains it.

Ian rolled his eyes, "I suppose we still are pretty close, I mean we talk about everything, but we have different interests now, and besides her reactions are priceless," he said grinning. Nora rolled her eyes too. Her and her siblings were never like that, he guessed their relationships with each other could have been similar to that of Ian and Kate, but their parents dying just made her want to protect them all the more.

"Brace yourselves, its Española time!" Scott said as they entered the class. Nora groaned.

Why did she pick Spanish?

But still… It was good to be back, and she didn't need to worry about nothing being normal again.

Little did she know she would soon be eating her words.

**VAMPIREDIARIES**

"Oh, apple crumble, I hate gym," Lucy complained as she did her stretches.

"Come on, Lucy-Lui! That's not the right attitude! Be positive!" Nora shouted as she did her own stretches too.

"That's easy for you to say! You have such long legs, you can run for hours, look at me, Blondie, with my stamina and physique I can't run for caboodle!" she ranted, stopping the stretches for a moment and looking off into the distance, before waving frantically.

Both arms in the air.

Like a crazy person.

Nora gave her a glance of worry, "What on Earth are you doing? Have you finally lost it?" she said jokingly earning a slap from her friend.

"No, Elena and Bonnie are over on the bleachers, oh my strawberries how did they get out of their gym class?" she moaned, before jogging lightly on the spot.

Nora turned around, and there they were, they were quite a distance away but she saw them, she jumped up and down, Elena noticed her sister and they both waved and she could tell they were laughing.

Nora turned back to Lucy, grinning, "I am so pumped right now, Lucy-Lui,"

Lucy just rolled her eyes.

Their teacher called the girls to gather and they were put in different positions on the track before setting off.

**VAMPIREDIARIES**

Nora was walking to the courtyard outside, it was such a nice day that her and her friends agreed to meet at a bench for lunch.

On her journey her blackberry made its way to her hands, and she was engrossed in her convo with Kate, despite the fact they were about to see each other, that as she walked through the doors that lead outside she didn't see the person walking in from the other side of them before she strided into a wall of rock hard muscle and nearly fell to the ground. They gripped her arm to steady her, and when she overcame the surprise she looked up into a pair of green eyes, and the guy had a small smile of amusement on his lips, or was it a smirk?

She pulled away, standing straight again, "I'm so sorry about that, I wasn't really paying attention," she said and held up her phone to couple her explanation, laughing lightly.

"It's alright, no harm done," he said in a smooth honey-like voice. He was quite cute actually, now that she got a better look at him, and he was tall, which was always a plus in her book.

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully, "Are you new here? I don't mean to be rude, it's just in this town everyone knows everyone, and I don't actually know _you_," she said, smiling.

He smiled back, "Yes, I am,"

"You gotta be a senior right? There's no way you're a junior, and _definitely_ not a sophomore, but we must not share any classes because I didn't see you, and I think I would have definitely noticed you," she said, going off on a bit of a ramble, but that was a common trait with Nora.

He laughed under his breath a little, "It may be a surprise, but I _am_ a junior,"

Nora's eyes widened, "You're not serious? You look _way_ older, not like old or anything but just… you know what I mean," she said, laughing at herself, scratching her neck, something she usually did when nervous or uncomfortable.

He shrugged, and it looked so effortless when he did it, "Weird the way the world works isn't it?" he said smiling.

She smiled back, feeling more at ease, she liked this guy, he was cool with the way he handled her, usually people were a little put off by her tangents and quirky behaviour, "I guess so, so my sister is actually a junior too, Elena Gilbert?" she asked.

His eyes widened in recognition, "Yes, I have a few subjects with her, and we had an impromptu meeting earlier," he explained, and the way he spoke, it sounded so old fashioned, it just felt odd.

"Awesome, well I'm Nora, her older sister," she said, a slight warning in her voice, she didn't know where that came from, and from the look on the guy's face for like a split second, he was caught off guard too.

But he recovered quickly, and if Nora hadn't been paying attention she wouldn't have noticed, and smiled, "I'm Stefan Salvatore, and I assure you, you don't have to worry about me," he said.

She nodded, and grinned, "Good, cause you know, I'd have to kill you," she joked, laughing.

He laughed with her, "And I'm sure you would,"

"Well, I should get going, my friends are waiting, but it was nice meeting you Stefan," she said.

He smiled, "It's been… Interesting meeting you Nora," he said, and Nora couldn't help but laugh.

She patted him on the shoulder as she passed, "It always is, Stef, it always is," she said as she walked away.

She didn't notice how Stefan stiffened beneath her touch. He was relieved he wore a jacket, or else she would have definitely noticed how stone cold he was.

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**Please review! :)  
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	3. Pilot part two- Not all Guys are Decent

**Hey guys! Just want to say thank you to everyone who has alerted and favorited this story already, this story seems really popular already, I thank you all so much and I am so happy you are enjoying it! Also, thank you to the people who have reviewed, Nora sends everyone a hug! Please enjoy this chapter, and it would be nice if you would review with your thoughts :)**

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When Nora got home from school Jenna was still at work, so she went up to her room and tuned her guitar. When that was done she scribbled down the melody that had been stuck in her head lately, trying it on her guitar, making variations to it. As she made the music the words popped into her head and it was just perfect. She hadn't had magic music writing like that in too long. She got lost in the whole process pretty quickly, god she forgot how good it felt to strum the familiar strings on her guitar.

She was playing the song in full, no breaks, no re-writes, and singing to her strumming, when she felt a presence behind her.

She stopped and turned around, and there stood Elena, leaning against the door frame and smiling, she walked in when Nora stopped playing.

"I haven't heard you play in a while, I was beginning to forget how amazing you are," she said as she walked in and sat on the edge of Nora's bed, while Nora stayed on her desk chair. It spun, which was amazing in her book.

Nora sighed a little, looking down at her guitar briefly, "I know," The accident affected them all in different ways, huh? "Well, anyway, this tune was in my head all day, I just had to get it down and try it out, and before I knew it, I had lyrics to go with it,"

Elena leaned back on her hands, "I'm glad you started again, I was missing it,"

Nora smiled, "I was too, to be honest,"

"Do you have work tonight?" Elena asked, as Nora got up to put her guitar back in its case.

"Yep! I actually gotta get ready in minute, you gonna be there later?" she asked, clipping her case shut and sitting down on the bed next to her sister.

"Yeah, I'm meeting Bonnie and Caroline," she said.

"Do you need a ride? Scott will be picking me up,"

"Yeah, if that's alright?" she replied uncertainly.

Nora wrapped an arm around Elena's shoulders, "You know you're always welcome! My friends love you," she said, smiling brightly, and Elena couldn't help but smile back.

**VAMPIREDIARIESVAMPIREDIARIES**

HONK! HONK! HONK!

Nora laughed to herself as she heard the ear-splitting honking going on outside her house; she was just looking in her wardrobe for her lilac converse, god her wardrobe was like freaking Narnia! She could never find anything, she really needed a clear out.

She had gotten changed into her Grill uniform consisting of the blue top and her own black skinny jeans. As soon as she tried on her Grill top for the first time she had to ask for her top to be two sizes bigger, that way it wasn't stuck to her like glue showing off her assets to the customers, something her boss didn't look too happy about but he wasn't going to argue with Grayson and Miranda's daughter. Besides she liked some of her clothes to be a little loose. She had let her hair down so it fell in waves down past her waist from the bun it had been in all day, but she had braided her bangs to frame her face.

"Nora, our ride's here!" Elena said from outside her bedroom door.

"Okay! Go tell him I'll be joining you in a bit Lena-Ley!" she shouted, not missing the little chuckle her sister produced after hearing Nora's nickname for her. And Nora wondered how long it had been since she called her it.

"Ah-ha!" she exclaimed as she got a hold of her converse, "You can't escape me that easily," she said gleefully as she slipped them on, the laces already tied.

She grabbed her black rucksack from its position by her door, slipping it on only one shoulder, but as soon as she took one step out of her room she had to run back to snatch her blackberry from her dressing table, remembering just before she left. Oh, God, that phone was her life, if she forgot it she would probably cry.

She rushed down the stairs, not realising Elena was held up at the door before she reached the bottom, and who was on the other side? Only Stefan Salvatore.

_Ooooh, is there something going on with them? Damn! There goes my chance!_ She thought with regret, but she could hardly help it, Stefan was quite literally the hottest guy she had ever seen, and she supposed his hotness seemed a little exotic with him moving in from outside of Mystic Falls, but her sister deserved someone in her life, someone that made her happy. He had better make her happy if he knew what was good for him.

She'd obviously interrupted something because they both looked at her as she approached, and Elena tried looking casual, but Nora inwardly smirked. Stefan just smiled easily.

"Hey, Stef! Fancy you coming round here!" Nora greeted, grinning and slinging an arm around Elena's shoulders, her sister held in a laugh.

"I'm just dropping off Elena's journal," he explained.

Nora raised her eyebrows, "Oh?" and looked at Elena in question.

"Yeah, I forgot it when I was at the cemetery earlier,"

Nora then looked at Stefan, "And you were there too?"

He nodded, "I have relatives buried there," he said, a solemn edge to his voice.

"Oh, yes, of course! I'm sorry," she said, inwardly kicking herself.

He smiled, "Don't worry, Nora, honestly," he said in assurance.

She smiled back. Stefan was so nice, it felt refreshing compared to being fucked around by Tyler fucking Lockwood.

"Um, you don't have to stay out there you know, Stefan," Elena said, shrugging off Nora's arm, and starting to turn into the house.

Nora's eyes were on Stefan, and he took a step toward the door, but stopped just at the threshold, and Nora didn't miss the wary look in his eyes. She frowned slightly.

"No it's okay, were you going somewhere?" he said calmly, although Nora did not think he was okay at all.

"Yeah, we're meeting friends at the grill, you wanna come?" Elena said.

Stefan smiled, "Sure,"

"Well, I already have my ride! So I'll be seeing you kids there! Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she said, winking at Elena, and locking eyes with Stefan as she left, and she smiled, although not as naturally as she would have liked.

**VAMPIREDIARIESVAMPIREDIARIES**

Nora was behind the bar, cleaning glasses in between serving customers, yeah, she was under age, but it's not like that stopped her boss, luckily Sheriff Forbes did not come into the Grill regularly being at work most the time, so she had not been caught yet.

She really hated this job, but she had always worked in the summer since she was fifteen, whether it was a waitress busting tables at the café in town, or as a sales assistant in their big retail store, she knew she didn't really have to, but she liked earning her own money.

And although she tried her hardest, she couldn't stop stealing glances in Tyler and Matt's general direction. Vicki kept going over to their table, giving them refills when they needed them. She wanted to gag honestly, could they be any more obvious? And flaunting their relationship in her face? Oh, yeah, that was classy.

Nora had been quite close to Vicki when they were younger, but people drift apart, she'd always been close to Matt though, he was so nice, sometimes you couldn't believe Vicki was his sister.

"Lighten up, Gilbert, it's not all bad," Scott's voice interrupted her thoughts.

She placed the glass she had been cleaning on the top shelf easily considering her height, and turned to him, "Oh and why's that?" she asked, walking over to her friend.

He flashed a cheeky grin, "Because you got me in your life, that is why," he stated, and Nora couldn't help but laugh. Scott always managed to cheer her up.

She leaned one hand on the counter, and raised an eyebrow, "Is that fact supposed to be the answer to all my problems?"

He gave her look of exaggerated dumbfoundment, "Uh, duh! 'Course it is," he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, lightly shoving Nora on the arm.

She just rolled her eyes, "Do you want a drink?" she asked, and that was when Vicki came up to the bar to refill a glass, and Nora's eyes unconsciously followed her as she walked back over to Tyler and Matt's table.

Her jaw clenched as she saw Vicki walk away with a flirtatious smile on her face, and Tyler's eyes following her ass as she left to see to another booth.

Her blue eyes were staring so hard into the back of Tyler's head anyone would think she was trying to burn him where he sat, and then she was knocked out of her glare by warmth on her hand.

It was then she realised her hand had been in a tight fist and she relaxed it and her eyes locked with Scott's chocolate ones, "Nora-"

She cut him off before he could continue, "Look, I'm fine honestly, there's no need for you trying to comfort me or whatever, I gotta got serve a customer," she said in a harsh rush, and just as she said that a punter came up to the bar, God that was lucky, she had blagged that part just to get away from Scott. She didn't need to talk about her "feelings", something Scott seemed to love. He may be a guy but he was more in touch with his emotions than most girls, and believed in talking things out in order to get the weight off your mind. He was like their group's personal therapist sometimes.

Scott sighed as Nora walked away, he thought she was worse than a guy sometimes, and although she didn't like talking out her feelings, music really was the only outlet she had for getting what was on her mind out. He hoped she would start writing again and then maybe she would feel a little better.

**VAMPIREDIARIESVAMPIREDIARIES**

Tyler watched after Vicki as she walked away, and Matt sat across from him, a disgusted look on his face.

"Please tell me you're not hooking up with my sister," he said, and his eyes glanced quickly over to the bar, and he saw Nora standing there with Scott on the other side, her bright blue eyes blazing with fire as she glared at Tyler.

Tyler just stared at his friend, "I'm not hooking up with your sister,"

Matt frowned, "You're such a dick," he said, and Tyler laughed quietly, not wanting to rile Matt up too much.

"What about Norie?" He asked suddenly, and Tyler's laughter stopped abruptly.

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Come on, you still call her Norie? Are we in Kindergarten now?" he said, and Matt knew he was avoiding the question. That was quite a futile attempt seeing as Matt had Nora by that nickname every day since he was in Kindergarten and no one ever picked him up on it, even Tyler.

"Come on, man, don't avoid the question,"

Tyler sighed heavily, "Look, she dumped me alright?" he said reluctantly. Tyler did not get dumped. Ever.

Matt would have usually leapt at the opportunity that Tyler proposed, but he was more concerned about Nora, "Why was that?"

Tyler looked at him as if he was stupid, "Oh I don't know! Why don't you ask her?"

Matt shook his head as he sat back in his seat, his eyes wandering over to Nora again who was serving a man with bright ginger a drink and then Vicki cut across his vision, she walked into Nora's line of vision and he didn't miss the ice cold stare she sent after her before quickly turning her attention back to the pint she was pulling.

And then it clicked. Her burning glares at Tyler, accompanied with her ice cold glowers she was sending Vicki's way.

Matt's attention turned back to his friend in front of him and he gave him his hardest stare, when Tyler finally noticed he raised an eyebrow.

"What have I done to deserve that look?"

"I think you know," Matt shot back, his voice duplicating his expression in firmness.

Tyler frowned at Matt in confusion, "I really don't, man, what's got your panties in a twist?"

Matt raised his eyebrows, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact you decided to see my _sister_ at the same time as Nora? Does that not maybe strike you as a reason for Nora dumping _you_?" he accused, and Tyler knew he wouldn't be hearing the end of it.

"Look, it's not really my fault, I was gonna end with it her, but she just got there before I did," he said, not looking like he was really bothered at all.

Matt sighed heavily, he knew what Tyler was like, and he knew he wouldn't get through to him about the concept of "decency", he was like a goddamned caveman sometimes.

"Alright, I get it Ty, you do what you want, but just try to be a little more sensitive to Norie and her feelings when Vicki is around, you don't need to flaunt it in her face,"

Tyler rolled his eyes, "Fine! I'll take a leaf out of your book," he said, conceding to Matt's request.

**VAMPIREDIAIRIESVAMPIREDIARIES**

_Nora was running. She had no clue where or even why, but she just knew she __**had**__ to. She knew with all her being, she just had to __**run**__._

_All that surrounded her was pitch black darkness. She couldn't differentiate walls with floor. She couldn't see her hands in front of her, or her feet. She could hear though. She could hear the hasty stamping of her feet on the ground of which she could not describe. It echoed around her and so did the blood thumping in her hears. _

_The adrenaline pumping through her entire being was new to her, the fear in her bones was near crippling. She didn't know the exact reason for her running but she what prompted her to do so._

_It rang through her skull, the terrified cry of a woman, "RUN! RUN NORA!" she screamed those three words with all she had. The woman was a silhouette and Nora must have been young because she was barely at hip height with the woman. There was a dark figure looming behind the woman, and then Nora ran. Pushing her little legs as hard and as fast as they could go._

_There was an ear-splitting scream in the distance, it was some distance away but it reached her ears._

_She knew it was that woman, and she just knew she had to run. _

Nora shot up in her bed, her skin clammy with sweat, her heart humping so hard in her chest it nearly hurt. She placed a hand on her radically rising and falling chest, the skin wet. She looked around herself and was relieved to find herself in the familiarity of her room.

And the sun was rising, she didn't know if she could handle the dark in that moment.

Her breathing began to calm, and her heart steadied to a normal pace. God, that dream, she couldn't really remember it except for the sheer and utter _panic_ coursing through her in it. It was recurring dream, had been for a few weeks now, she could never quite remember it when she woke up, like most dreams, she felt as if she was grasping helplessly onto it. There were only two things she remembered from it, the fear, or terror may be a better way to describe it, and darkness.

She shuddered, trying to chase away those horrid feelings, and then her alarm screeched through her room, causing her to jump out of her skin and reach over to it in a blind panic, throwing it into the wall and smashing it into numerous pieces, momentarily lost the barely there memory of her dream and forgetting to turn her alarm off. She instead acted on pure instinct.

She breathed out heavily as she took in the sight of what she had done, b=obviously not fully recovered from that dream. Or should she call it nightmare?

She didn't know, all she knew was she had to get ready for school.

And hopefully something interesting would happen to take her mind off it.

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**Oooh, where did that dream come from? I hope you don't forget about it, because it will play some significance in this story ;) And I think I'll try fitting in the rest of the pilot into the next chapter, there will be some parts I'm skipping, because it doesn't all have a relevance to Nora, and I really wanna get to the good stuff! Although I am glad I got to fit this dream in, finally, I've been to excited to get it out and get the drama going! :D  
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